• Stories In the Mud: Small Town Crime and Memory

    I was born in a place where the collective memory will never forget about a train careening off a bridge and drowing in the bed of the muddy river. Nor will the collective ever forget the serial killer their children fell victim to or the two boys murdered by a Sunday school teacher.

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  • There is a term that I throw out repeatedly on Medium and my writing blog. It’s almost everywhere — the title banner, the “about me” page, and most of the blog posts. I’m talking about what I refer to as “Literary True Crime.” It’s a term that lies at the heart of what I want

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  • 3 Tools I Use for Social Media (and How I Use Them)

    If you want to be a writer, nowadays you must have a social media presence. Read on for some (somewhat unorthodox) tools and tricks I use to organize mine!

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  • Writing to a Convicted Murderer – Part II

    The Crime: Executed follow up to Writing to a Convicted Murder. Read on for tips on writing your letter, including a sample letter to an inmate!

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  • How to Write to a Convicted Murderer

    Think you’re ready to write to a prisoner, someone convicted of a rape, a murder, or worse? Are you unsure? Ask yourself the real reason you want to write to this person. If it’s only to ask about the crime itself in graphic detail, you aren’t ready.

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